Welcome to the best of the week for What's Right with Nick Right the best takes in moments from this week on the show Enjoy.
Lakers have the second best odds of the West to win the title right now at minus one ninety five. Anthony Edwards says he loves the position that the time Real.
Quick hold on there the second mess odds to win in the West to win the title minus.
Won in round one.
You're fine, go ahead and h yeah.
So Anthony Edwards says he loves where the Timberwolves are at right now and saying I love the fact that everybody wants the Lakers to win. That's how it's supposed to be. They don't want the Timberwolves to win, and I get that. What is the key to this series?
Well, the only chance the Timberwolves have is if Julius Randall, for the first time in his career, plays well in the playoffs. And we've never seen that happen. So I'm I'm gonna pull it up. I'm looking down if you're watching on YouTube, because I'm pulling up on my phone. Julius Randall's playoff career is truly disastrous, and it's not overstated it's not being unfair.
It is what it is.
It is.
In twenty twenty one in the first round against the Hawks, that's the famous Trey Young series. You see, Oh, he was eighteen eleven and four. That that's actually good on twenty nine percent from the field. So his first playoff series ever, he was twenty nine percent from the field. Then two years later against Cleveland in Round one, he was fourteen and six a game that was after an all NBA season, on thirty three percent from the field,
and then and they won that series. And then the next round against Miami he was eighteen and ten, which is much better on forty one percent from.
The field, which is okay.
In his playoff career is twenty eight percent from three and then last year obviously he was hurt for the playoffs and it didn't really seem like Knicks fans were all that bummed about it. And so he is yet to have a single great playoff series. And even if you go to individual playoff games, you are hard pressed to find more than one good one game. One last or two years ago against Miami he was really good.
He was twenty five twelve and eight on forty four percent from the field, which is about as good as you can hope for from him. But in his playoff career, and he has one other game against Miami where he was twenty and nine on sixty one percent. But what's that joke everybody likes to make he is shooting. He's shooting tour dates or whatever.
Like he's that thing.
Three eleven.
Yeah, So in his career, in ascending order, he is in the playoffs from the field two for fifteen, three for fifteen, three for fourteen, six for twenty three, four for fifteen, three for ten, five for sixteen, seven for twenty, seven for nineteen, eight for twenty one, and then five games forty percent from the field or better eight for twenty, eight for eighteen, four for nine, and then the two good games seven for thirteen and eight for thirteen.
So that's a.
Fifteen game playoff sample size. He's been good in two of them. So he's got to be what are you laughing about that, I'm being to me, No, No, after you said that, I just I whispered, go ahead and swing that rock, big dog.
I don't think, oh yeah, I didn't hear it.
Yeah, So for real though, So that is he's gotta be good for them to have a chance. And by the way, gonna be tough because he's gonna be guard On the other end, He's gonna be guarding Lebron James a lot. So he is the absolute key now other than him, I am really interested in how much can Austin Reeves, how much energy can Austin Reeves make Anthony Edwards expend on the defensive end, because I know there have been some thoughts that ant is going to try
to guard Lebron or Luca. That's a terrible idea. Ant's a very good defender, but he is simply too small for either one of those guys. Jaden McDaniels will spend a lot of time on Lebron and Luca. Julius Randall will spend some time on Lebron and Luca. Nazrid might try. Dante's not going to be able to do it. But point is Anthony Edwards is going to end up matched up on Austin Reeves a fair amount. Now, I don't
think the Lakers have anybody who can slow down Anthony Edwards. Now, oddly they did well against him in the regular season, but I would just go ahead and pencil in. Uh, Anthony Edwards for thirty a game. He's gonna average thirty in this series, just so be it. Can Austin make him have to defend enough and run around enough that he is a little tired on the offensive end at the end of these games, because you do remember that, I listen, I get it. You had to trade Luka
Doncic because he's an out of shape alcoholic. I understand Nico, but it was Anthony Edwards, who might as well be chiseled out of granted, who said he was exhausted in the conference finals last year, not Luca. And so now it's a lot of time off and it's round one and there's a lot of days between the games. But how much energy can you make Ant expend on the
defensive end? And then the only other real the only way for in my opinion, for the Timberwls to have a real chance, is if Luca's three is not falling, Because if Luca's three is falling, then what you are going to see is Lebron really picking and choosing his spots in the first three quarters of these games and then taking over in the fourth, something he has not had the luxury of doing much at all in his
whole career, but certainly in his Lakers career. But you saw it in that Lakers MAVs game where Lebron you know, hand off the joystick for the first three quarters and then best player on the court in the fourth quarter. You've seen it a few times this year, and so Julius Randall's gotta be good for them to have a chance. Nas Reed's going to be super important. And I haven't even mentioned Rude go Beart because here's the thing. I think Rudy's in a really rough spot here. It's not
just that Luca has tortured him on multiple continents. It's not just that Luca hit the biggest shot of his career over him, but it's also that the Lakers want to play small. His offensive limitations will allow them to play small, because they're not going to be able to just you know, dump the ball down to go bear and be like, hey, you have Dorian Finney Smith or Rudy Hachimura on you give us that sweet baby hook you've got. That's not going to be a thing.
And defensively, we have seen if you play five out it, Rudy really really struggles and so I would guess that Ant is awesome and it doesn't matter all that much in this series.
And I said it to you guys on Tuesday. I'll say it again. The Lakers minus a game and a half at plus one point twenty, I think is probably my favorite bet of this round of the playoffs.
All right, what else you have.
On this series? Do you think this could be the start of a Luca Ant rivalry?
So I'd love that, and I do think that they have personalities that would mesh for a rivalry. I do think that both of these teams, you know, they should meet in the playoffs consistently moving forward. I don't look at Ant yet as the caliber of play player of Luca, and I don't think that there is much of an argument.
What demons You don't see them as the same caliber of player. I get like that better.
Yeah, I look at Luka as a guy I expect to win multiple MVPs. That's that's There's only two other guys in the league in that caliber, and they both already have multiple. As far as prime guys, I mean, you know, in Giannis and Jokic, and I look at Aunt as a guy who might win one you know what I mean. So, like, I, if you set luca career MVPs number one and a half, I would immediately
say over. And if you set Ant's number of career MVPs at a half, I would say I needs, like, I got to really think about this so that you know that's the eight And I think it's I think it's an almost impossibility that Luca never wins a league MVP, and I think it's a coin flip of Ant does so again, it were in the margins here, but yeah, I do look like and I think a good evidence of that is if the Lakers had traded Anthony Edwards,
Max Christi and a first round pick. I'm sorry, if the Lakers had traded Anthony Davis, Max Christi and a first round pick for Anthony Edwards, we wouldn't two months later still be like, that's the dumbest shit I've ever seen in my life? Is it because they want to move the team? Like the you would have legitimately, you know, debates on each side like okay, who got better?
Like does it make it?
And I understand for the way the Timberwolves are constructed, it wouldn't even make sense.
But yeah, that's how I.
So, and I really like it, but I think he needs to level up a tiny bit.
Now.
He's not as old as Luca, you know what I mean. He hasn't been in the league quite as long. And so, uh, there is that go ahead?
Do you well, were you done with the with the first follow up?
I was, I was gonna ask you if you see JJ reddicks stock rising or how much you see it rising this offseason?
Well, it depends on the playoff run. I mean, if they get bounced in round one, it won't. People like Darvin Ham made the conference finals his first year. But I I think it's already pretty obvious that JJ Reddick has done an excellent job his first year as a Lakers head coach. Now we'll see how he handles the playoffs.
I know there's some in some circles there is a belief that the Lakers have been kind of using a playoff style defense in the regular season and to deal with their lack of size, and that that might have been a mistake by JJ because now they're not going to have an extra gear and more people have seen it so they can prepare for it. I'm less concerned with that than others. But yeah, I think JJ's done
an excellent job. I think that there was a legitimate argument to include him on Coach of the Year ballots this year, and so credit to JJ, who people know I historically not the biggest fan of as far as a media presence, but he did a really good job. The NBA eighty two game grind is done and now the real fun begins. The NBA Playoffs are here and it's time for all the high stakes drama, clutch moments,
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The so MVP to me is quite simple, and I have been sorry, Daniel, really, I have found it unbelievable the number of people who have just decided all of the rules that I laid the groundwork for last year no longer apply. And so for me, the only question for MVP is the fifth spot. One through four are pretty obvious. Shay is the league MVP. He's thirty three a game on a sixty eight win team. Joker should
be the unanimous second place MVP guy. He's thirty a game with a triple double, carrying a team that is terrible defensively. Some of that's on him and just fired their coach. Jiannis is third, Tatum is fourth, and if you want to say Tatum's third, Yanis is fourth, that's fine. I think what Yannis has done, especially despite Dame being out, is remarkable, but that's a debate. And then or fifth place.
It was a debate between the following Donovan Caid, Edwards and Lebron and I still want well, I'll talk about All NBA first team because my one through five, my MVP ballot is not my first team All NBA, and I'll explain that in a minute. But my fifth place spot goes to Lebron, and it goes to Lebron because despite the injury, still played seventy games. He seamlessly did what a lot of people thought he either wouldn't be willing to or able to, which is fit with Luca.
People are recreating history that, oh, the Lakers were headed for the play in before the Luca trade. The Lakers were the four seed the day Luca made his debut with the team. They stayed even though Anthony Davis had gotten hurt. They were on a winning streak when Luca first got to the team. They're only real losing this year happened surrounding Lebron's injury. Lebron was a Swiss Army knife defensively once they got Luca, and honestly, once Ad went down. They are the three seed in a loaded
Western conference. They were only Oklahoma City was better this year against the best ten teams in basketball. Lebron's been the through line of it all. I have in his fifth place in MVP now to the top of the ballot. So here's why I find these folks who are now saying they are going to vote for Joker to be so disingenuous and what they simply should say is he's my favorite player. He's the best player in the league, so I'm voting for him. Last year, the numbers for
Joker v. Luca were not close. I will remind you of them.
Okay.
Last year, Luca averaged thirty four nine and nine. He won the scoring title on good efficiency. He averaged thirty four points, nine point two rebounds, nine point eight assists, so basically thirty four nine to ten. The league MVP was Nikola Jokic, who averaged seven fewer points twenty six and a half, three more rebounds twelve and a half, and one fewer assists nine.
And it wasn't close.
Luka got four first place votes, and the argument was purely well, Jokers team won fifty seven games, Luca's team won fifty, and Luca was not very good. Even though the team was fine defensively, Luca was not very good defensively. Those same people now this year are saying throw those rules out.
And even though.
Shay's team has won sixty eight games and Jokers team won fifty, the same exact number where lucas seen won last year, I think Joker's gonna get it because I've never seen an offensive season like this, And my question is, didn't you kind of see an offensive season like this last year by a guy who got four first place votes? Again, Luca last year was thirty four, nine and ten. Joker this year is thirty let me get yeah, twenty nine
point six called thirty thirteen and ten. So four or fewer points four more rebounds on a team that won the same amount of games. And so that now you might say, Nick, last year, weren't you a guy that was arguing for Luca. Wouldn't that then follow that this year you should be arguing for Joker one hundred percent if one of two things were won, I had an actual vote and it was impacting it. So I must vote with consistency or two. And this is more importantly
and really the reasoning. I do feel like the previous winner winners, but certainly in the most recent year continues to set the precedent for the voting public because it is an undefined award. So last year when a guy with fifty wins who's playing in the four to five game, who averaged thirty four to nine to ten, got four of one hundred votes because we said best player on the best team with really good stats is going to run away with it to then not give Shay when
Shay is again. It's like Shay's averaging twenty five a game. He's thirty three, five and six with excellent defense on a sixth win team. And the history of guys on teams who have won sixty eight plus games, all of them, every team that has ever won sixty eight plus Steph won MVP. Jordan won MVP the sixty nine win. Lakers did not have the league MVP. Kareem won it in seventy two, but that is because two Lakers split votes. Wilt and West finished third and second. That's why the
Lakers didn't have one. The who are the other ones? Dave Cowen's on the sixty eight win Celtics won MVP, Jordan won sixty nine games and shamefully didn't win it. Ninety seven of the voters got to Sickle giving it to him, gave it to Karl Malone. But it's just folks need to just say, I like Joker the most so even though his coach got fired and his defense has been bad, and even though last year it was about wins, this year it's about ross stats. I'm just
not gonna lie. I just think it's I think Shaye the MVP now to All NBA. So again I don't have an actual vote, but and I know they changed the rules. I want my All NBA First Team at the very least to be two guards, two forwards in a center, and I want all of my All NBA teams to at least be credible teams you could roll out on a basketball court. So even though I had Lebron as my fifth place in MVP voting, I do not have him as All NBA First Team. I gave
that to Donovan. So I want my two guards to be Shayan Donovan, my two forwards Jonason Tata, my center Joker. Second Team All NBA for me was very simple. My two guards are Stepan ant Cade's technically a guard, but he's tall enough we can just put him in kind of that point forward spot. He and Lebron are second team, and Alp Shingoon, who was the best player on a Rockets team that was the second seed. He is second Team All NBA, Third Team All NBA. With apologies to
Tyrese Haliburton. Halliburton had his spots stolen in Game eighty two. Demons by James Harden thirty nine to ten to lock up the five seed and stay out of the play in. So it's Jalen Brunson, James Harden, Jalen Williams as a forward. Because your team wins sixty eight games, it's not just one guy. Carl Anthony Towns is the other forward and Evan Mobley as the other center. Again, that team wants what sixty four they need someone other than just Donovan.
My Defensive Player of the Year was not difficult for me. I think Draymond really hurt himself at the end of the year. It is Evan Mobley, my sixth man.
Of the the Mobley thing.
You have him in as your defensive place the year, but he's only in your third team All NBA.
Yeah, so that happens sometimes. The where in hell there have been years defensive Player of the Year didn't even make any All NBA team. I don't think Marcus Smart made an All NBA team when he won it.
I don't think.
I don't know if Tony Allen, did Tony Allen ever win Defensive Player of the Year, I don't remember, but that happened sometimes.
But I think he's the defensive Player of the Year.
Six Man of the Year is Malik Beasley. Just an absolute flamethrower off the bench, and I guess somewhat controversial most improved. I think it's if he's a zubots I almost had zubots On as my on my All NBA team. He jumped his scoring by fifty percent over his career. He's been great defensively, Clippers have been excellent, He's been huge. I think he's the most improved player, even though he's old and it usually doesn't go to old guys. Clutch
Player of the Year is Lebron. Lebron's the only player in the league with four hundred, one hundred one hund in the fourth Lebron's fourth quarter plus minus and the Lakers record in the fourth quarter and his assistant turnover ratio is better than either of the previous Clutch Player of the Year winners. And Stephan Ant and I understand Jalen Brunson's clutch numbers are going to probably make Jalen
Brunson win this award. That is in part because they do not have clutch numbers for defense in the clutch, where Jalen was lacking. Obviously because of his size. I think Lebron's clutch Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year is very very simple. Stefan Cassel is going to be close to unanimous. Well, Reesa Chale gets some votes, and I think Coach of the Year demons is emy Udoka getting this Rockets team to the two seed. When Jalen Green's a nice player. Amon Thompson's gonna be an
awesome player, but he's very young. I think em Udoka deserves Coach of the Year. So those are my ballots and my full NBA awards.
All right, it makes sense to everybody.
Lakers locked up the three seed and now they are facing an in Minnesota in Round one. Luke obviously took care of business, but against against them last year he averaged thirty two, thirty two, nine and eight. How do you think these teams stack up against each other?
Are you a little worried there?
No, this is the ideal bracket for the Lakers. Okay, So, like, listen, everything's hard in the West, and everyone wanted Memphis. But once it was clear Memphis wasn't going to climb out of the play in part of it, then this was the best you could have hoped for, Like, you want to play the Nuggets right now? I don't Jamal Murray's back. Joker is joker. You won't play the Clippers right now? Holy shit, that team looks unbelievable. The Warriors, because of
Steph are always dangerous. So again, the best possible path for the Lakers, in my opinion, was having the thunder Nuggets and Clippers on the other side of the bracket.
And they do.
They are they might. By the way, also, if the Warriors lose tonight, they'll If the Warriors lose tonight, the Lakers road to the Conference finals is Timberwolves and then either Rockets Grizzlies, And even if the Warriors win tonight, then Timberwolves in either Rockets Golden State and so aunt might average thirty to a game in this series. The Lakers do not have anyone that can guard Anthony Edwards, but that's fine. Here are the other things that are
gonna happen. I don't know how you can incredibly play Rudy Gobert the amount of minutes you probably want to play him. Luca just told us a week ago. He was like, what moment from your from the MAVs video got you choked up the most. And it wasn't when they drafted him. It wasn't, you know, one of his crazy buzzer beaters. It wasn't the seventy point game. It was hitting the step back over Gobert in the conference finals,
then cursing him out in Slovenia. Luca has tortured Rudy Gobert on multiple continents in the Olympic Slovenia against France. He's done it when Gobert was a Jazz. He did it. When Gobert was a Timberwolf, he did it. So that is a rough spot for the Timberwolves to start with. You then add that the Lakers are getting They no longer have to deal with playoff D'Angelo Russell, which is a disaster, and instead get to go against playoff Julius Randall,
which is a different type of disaster. That's nice. They don't have Darvin Ham with his hands in his pockets or drawing up on the whiteboard contest without fouling. They've got JJ who's been up for thirty nine straight hours figuring out how to blitz Anthony Edwards.
All that's good.
You also have a series that because Luca is going to want to make Rudy Gobert cry. Lebron's gonna be able to sit back the first three quarters like he did in that MAVs game. So again, I think it is a hard fought five games for the Lakers, maybe six, I will tell you, guys, is my favorite round one bet. Shout out to my friends at DraftKings, by the way, like we should. I would like to can DraftKings. Can we start getting some boosts or something? I just if there's something I really like.
I don't know.
This is plus one twenty. Maybe they can throw my face on it, make it plus one twenty five for what's right, listeners. But the Lakers minus a game and a half in the series, meaning is plus one twenty. So the Lakers for the series is minus two hundred. So question is, do you think the Lakers are gonna win the series? Yes, okay, you bet them at minus two hundred you win if they win in four or five.
Six or seven.
Or you can get them at minus a game and a half at plus one twenty and you win if they win the series in four or five or six. So yes, you cost yourself if it's a seven game Lakers win, but I think it's gonna be seven games because I think Luca is gonna light this team on fire, and I think that, uh, listen, nas Reed's gonna be a problem. You got credit where it's due. Jaden McDaniels is an excellent defensive player, but they got We saw Luca with a worst supporting cast, beat this team in
five to go to the finals last year. Now, aunt said I got tired, which was odd, and ant won't be tired this time. But you also have Lebron with eight days off coming into it.
I on the Lebron's side, are like, obviously not trying to speak this in the existence, but are you worried at all about his growing?
So I know that was kind of acting up last year.
I saw it, yet so it looked like he kind of tweaked it in the game against Houston Game eighty one, he didn't seem too concerned. And this is also why you know having eight days off is going to be so incredibly useful and helpful. So no, I'm not obviously, if he truly reaggravates his growing, if he has to
miss time, then that would be a problem. But this is where I remind you guys of one of the single most remarkable stats in basketball history, which is Lebron James teams have played in two hundred and eighty seven playoff games demanse in his career two hundred and eight. So teams Lebron has been on have played in two hundred and eighty seven playoff games. Of those two hundred and eighty seven, Lebron James has played in two hundred and eighty seven. He has never missed a single playoff
game in his career. So yes, finger cross, knock on wood, whatever you gotta do. But also that number is so.
Bananas, it's pretty crazy.
It's three and a half full seasons. Yeah, he's played, He's this will be his fifty fifth career playoff series, fifty five series. He's forty one and thirteen in his career in playoff series, and so yeah, I mean, I you hope. Obviously he's got to stay healthy. He's done a good job of that.
Through his career.
One more question before we move on to some other stuff.
So if Minnesota ends up winning this series and Ant shows out as he moved closer to become in the face.
So.
Yes, I Ant needs to tighten up his off court life, but he's got everything else. And if he were to outduel Lebron and Luca in what is going to be the highest rated Round one series, yeah, that will. But I kind of look at Ant.
Here's the optimistic look of Ant.
He's on the Luca trajectory. Luca made an early conference finals run. The next year, the team made a big trade and then took a bit of a step back. For Luca was Kyrie. They end up missing the playoffs. For Ant, they trade Karl Anthony Towns. You know, they end up down at the sixth line, probably bouncing round one. And the next year for Luca they made the finals.
So that like it's not like ANT is behind schedule at all, But yes, this would scut this would Winning this round one series would do more for Ant's notoriety and facing the league stuff than winning the Round two series they did last year against Denver.
That's the greatest Denvers probably be super important with this year. Like if he won this one, if they beat the Lakers and then they just lost in.
Round to correct, no, no, no, you beat the Lakers, everyone's then gonna expect you to beat the Rockets or the Warriors, or the Grizzlies. That's that part's definitely true.